Where in the world is Louise? Have you been wondering why I haven’t posted in a while? Well my summer was filled with art projects and redesigning my personal website: LaRoach.Art. In case you didn’t know, I am a digital artist/designer. Genealogy is my hobby. So if my spare time is in short supply, my family research sometimes ends up on the shelf until I have an extended period of quiet time necessary to concentrate on old records.

But when September rolled around this year, Europe beckoned!

My husband and I share a love of travel and exploration. Every year we get out-of-town and experience a new city, country or culture. This year we chose Berlin, Salzburg and Florence to visit, also sandwiching two weeks in the middle of our trip to see cousins and friends in Bolzano, Fondo, Castelfondo and Trent (Northern Italy). Along the way I documented art, visited churches and enjoyed the rich culture of Germany, Austria and Italy.

I am 50% Tyrolean (Trentini) and 50% German/Prussian. Although this was my 3rd trip to Italy and I am very familiar with my Genetti origins, culture and ancestral home, I know little about my German ancestry. Not having visited Germany or Austria on past trips, this was an opportunity to experience the blending of cultures that make up my DNA.

Louise with one of the Tower’s Beefeaters

Michael and I flew into Heathrow Airport and decided to begin out trip with a few days in London Town. The Tower of London was a short walk from our hotel and since we had missed this site on a previous visit to England, we decided to spend the day walking through the murky legacy of England’s infamous prison. I snapped closeups of interesting architectural details, had my photo taken with a Yeoman Warder (also known as a Beefeater), and marveled at the tales of historical figures imprisoned throughout the tower’s lengthy history.

Tower of London

Our next destination was Berlin, Germany. My husband had chosen this city and I was also curious to see modern Berlin. Our AirBnB was a short walk from Checkpoint Charlie and one section of the Berlin Wall, important locations when the country and city were politically and physically divided by Cold War Russia. Since the Berlin Wall was both erected and eventually torn down within my lifetime, (yes I am old enough to remember the beginning of the wall), this was a point in history that I could identify with, as well as compare to our current political turmoil. Although this is an ugly part of Berlin history, particularly because it took place only 16 short years after the devastation of WW 2, I applaud the German people and their effort to remember and document what happened, in an effort to never allow the separation of people and state to take place again.

While in Berlin I had a most unusual cousin experience. I am friends on Facebook with various cousins in the United States, Austria, England and Italy. We had just arrived in Berlin and I happened to see a Facebook post by one of my 2nd cousins Maria Genetti, daughter of Gus and Val Genetti of Pennsylvania. (FYI – Maria’s grandfather and my grandfather were brothers. To be a 2nd cousin you share a set of great-grandparents. Maria, her siblings and I have the common ancestors of Damiano Genetti and Oliva Zambotti.)

In the Facebook post Maria was celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich with a large mug of frothy beer. How funny, I thought, Maria is also in Germany! I sent her a message that I was in Germany too, but a few hours away in Berlin. Maria responded that she had already flown home and was posting from the US, but that her sister, Patricia, had been vacationing in Malta and was flying home through Berlin. She thought it might be possible for the two of us to meet up. Maria sent a message to her sister and soon I received a text from Patricia. Yes, she was in Berlin for just two days and could we rendezvous the following day. Although we were in different parts of the city, Patricia managed to maneuver the underground system and we met for a pleasant chatty cousin dinner at an Italian Trattoria around the corner from our apartment.

Michael Roach, Patricia Genetti, Louise Genetti Roach in Berlin

The next day Patricia flew home and by the end of the week, we were on our way to picturesque Salzburg, Austria.

What are the odds of two American cousins showing up in the same German city at the same time without the knowledge that either were even traveling?! What a very strange cousin coincidence this was indeed! It never ceases to amaze me just how small the world really is and how we are all connected!

A shout-out to Patricia Genetti! Thank you for a memorable evening in Berlin. Perhaps we will stumble upon each other again in our future travels.

Since this series of blog posts is centered around family connections and genealogy, I am writing about my art adventures in Europe over at my other blog. You can read the first post in my “Artful Traveler” series at: LaRoach.Art

Look for more stories from my 2018 trip in future blog posts. Until then – ciao e una abbrattio.

I am FaceBook friends with Gemma Genetti. She lives in Merano, a beautiful historical city in northern Italy. Gemma’s roots are from Castelfondo, the ancestral village of the Genetti family. Over the past few years we have kept in touch and were sure we were related. But somehow the link between our families eluded me – until yesterday.

I saw a FaceBook comment Gemma made under a photograph of her father and uncle posted in “Chei da Chastelfon,” a private FB group that we both belong to. The group publishes many historical documents and photos of scenes and people from Castelfondo. Yesterday I was staring at a portrait posted by the group administrator, Giovanni Marchetti, of Massimino Genetti and his brother Camillo in military uniform. As I translated the comments below the photo, a realization came to me. I might be able to match up the two siblings in the town’s baptismal records. If I could find both siblings, plus their sister Anna (mentioned in one of the comments) I would have the correct ancestors for this family. Since we have many repetitive names on our tree (such as Pietro, Giovanni and Fortunato) this is not always an easy task. But if all of the siblings’ records matched and I had the exact names of their parents and grandparents, I could positively identify the branch of their ancestors.

Part of Genetti Family Tree showing Antonio and Veronica Genetti with their six sons.

Within an hour I had scanned through pages of Castelfondo records prior to 1925 and found two of the three siblings. The baptismal records had exactly the information I was searching for. I glanced up at the family tree hanging above my desk and immediately saw Gemma’s grandfather, Pietro!

Grabbing a piece of paper, I drew a descendant chart for Gemma and another for me – and yes, we shared a set of great-grandparents! Our 3rd great-grandparents, Giovanni Battista Antonio Genetti (1789-1852) and Veronica Paniza (1789-1871) are one in the same. That means my 2nd great-grandfather, Leone Genetti (1826-1909) and Gemma’s 2nd great-grandfather, Francesco Genetti (1818-?) were brothers. After counting down the generations, I concluded Gemma and I are 4th cousins (cugini) from the same branch of the Genetti family. Yea!

It’s always exciting to find our genealogical connections and to acknowledge those that came before us. The life paths our families chose were different and yet we have a deep connection through DNA and ancestral heritage. Gemma’s great-grandfather, Fortunato, stayed in Italy. My great-grandfather, Damiano, came to America. Two different countries, two different families, two different languages – and yet connected six generations in the past.

A special hello and thank you (ciao e grazie) to Gemma Genetti, Giovanni Marchetti and all of the wonderful members of Chei da Chastelfon. I have so enjoyed connecting to my Trentino heritage through your posts and photos.

Leon Genetti with his great-granddaughters at Genetti Family Reunion, 2016

With much sadness, I bring you the news that my uncle, Leon A. Genetti Jr. of Hazleton, PA passed away suddenly on Monday, December 18th while at home. He was 89 years old, just two months shy of his 90th birthday. Leon was the son of Leon and Angeline (Marchetti) Genetti, and the grandson of Damiano and Oliva (Zambotti) Genetti.

Obituary:

Born in Hazleton, he was the son of the late Leon A. and Angeline (Marchetti) Genetti and was a member of Queen of Heaven Parish at Our Lady of Grace Church, Hazleton.

Leon was affiliated with the Genetti supermarket chain and owned a local trucking company for that firm. He later owned Hazleton Engine and Brake Co. and operated it with his two sons, Leon and David.

He was an avid fisherman, had his private pilot’s license and had a love for flying.

Preceding him in death, in addition to his parents, were his wife, the former Marie Passarelli, in 2014; brothers, Joseph and John Genetti; and sisters, Catherine Farkus, Rita Young and Adeline Kashi [note: another sister, Joyce, passed away in 1934].

Sadly we say goodbye to our cousin Olivia Ann Reich Hearn who passed from this life on December 10, 2017. She is the daughter of Lewis Reich (1908–2003) and Elizabeth (Zambotti) Reich (1912-1995); and the granddaughter of Peter Zambotti (1881-1966) and Tilly (Genetti) Zambotti (1890-1985).

Obituary:

Date of Birth: April 30, 1942

Date of Death: December 10, 2017

Olivia was born in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, to Lewis and Elizabeth (Zambotti) Reich.

She received her Registered Nursing Degree in 1964 at Hazleton State School of Nursing, Hazleton, Pennsylvania, with emphasis on psychiatric care. Immediately after graduation, Olivia worked at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in New York City as a Psychiatric Care Nurse. She left that position in 1968 to ski in the mountains of Utah (Alta). In Utah, she worked as a Registered Nurse in the Salt Lake City VA until 1972 when she moved with her husband to Hebo, Oregon. She was a dedicated mother, homemaker, and for a short time in 1990’s worked as a librarian at Holy Trinity Catholic School, Beaverton, Oregon.

She was married on February 19, 1971 to her husband, Vern Hearn, at Hill AFB, Utah.

Olivia was an active member of St. Pius X Catholic Church since 1973 and served in several volunteer positions. Most notably, she taught Junior High Religious Education (CCD), served on the Funeral Committee, was a church board member, and a member of the Women’s Club. In the 1980’s, she served as a volunteer and key organizer for the Cedar Mill Community Library. In recent years, she found a great deal of pleasure in being a “room mother” for a William Walker Elementary School Kindergarten class until she was no longer physically able. She really enjoyed working with those kids.

Her hobbies included needlepoint, sewing, maintaining her reading library, traveling, gardening, as well as watching old movies, BBC International and History Channel (AKA WWII Channel).

Olivia is survived by her Husband, Vern; Daughter, Charis; son, Joel; brothers, Conrad and Lewis Reich; and sister, Ann Marie Shelby. She was preceded in death by her parents and son, Nathan.

Olivia’s Viewing and Rosary Service will be held on Sunday, December 17, 2017, starting at 6:00 PM at Springer and Son, Aloha Funeral Home, 4150 SW 185th Ave, Beaverton, Oregon.

Her Funeral Mass will be held at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 1280 NW Saltzman Road, Portland, Oregon, on Monday, December 18, 2017, at 1:00 PM. Fr. Julio Torres will be presiding over the Mass and Deacon Bob Little will be the Homilist.

Memorial Donations may be made in Olivia’s honor to any of the following organizations:
Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org)
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) (www.crs.org)
Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) (www.cmmb.org)

All viewing and funeral services are be handled by Springer and Son, Aloha Funeral Home, Beaverton, Oregon.

Family member Anne Marie Shelby is requesting prayers for her sister, Olivia Hearn, who is very ill right now. Anne Marie and Olivia’s grandparents were Peter Zambotti and Tilly Genetti. Please remember Olivia in your heart, thoughts and prayers, with the hope that she regains her health.

Sadly, we bring the news that another cousin has passed away. Regina (Jean) Branz Daly died on November 20, 2017. She was the daughter of Henry Branz (1897-1971) and Erminia Genetti (1896-1971), and the granddaughter of Damian Genetti (1857-1944) and Oliva Zambotti (1861-1938). A tribute page has been published for Jean along with many lovely photographs contributed by her daughter, Barbara Joliat, commemorating Jean’s life.

WATERBURY – Regina (Jean) E. Daly, widow of Dr. Joseph E. Daly, died Monday, Nov. 20, 2017, at her Waterbury home. She had suffered from the effects of cancer and Parkinson’s disease in recent years, but she remained active until the week prior to her death.

She was born March 21, 1931, in Freeland, Pa., to parents who had emigrated from what was then Val di Non, Tirol, Austria. Her parents [Henry Branz 1897-1971 and Erminia Genetti 1896-1971] instilled in her the principles of hard work and thrift, to which she added her characteristic sense of humor. After graduating from high school, she entered a nursing program at Hazelton Hospital in Hazelton, Pa., and graduated in 1951. She later moved to New York City to become head operating room nurse at New York Polyclinic Hospital, where she met her husband, then a surgical resident.

Jean and Joe married on May 23, 1959, and then moved to Waterbury, where he had lived his whole life. He had been widowed six years earlier, and Jean happily took on the job of raising his five children from his first marriage. They then had one daughter together and were able to live to see their six children grow up and give Jean and Joe 21 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. The youngest three great-grandchildren were born this past year, and Jean was delighted by the continued growth of her large family.

Jean loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and spent many happy years baby-sitting and traveling for baptisms, first communions, graduations and weddings. She enjoyed doting on all of the children and never forgot a birthday or anniversary. In addition to her love of spending time with her family, Jean enjoyed bridge, bowling and tennis with many dear friends. She volunteered extensively – at her beloved parish, St. Margaret, where she assisted with everything from altar linens to planting flowers, and at St. Margaret School, and for many charitable organizations, including Saint Mary’s Hospital and the Heart Fund. She was a longtime member of St. Margaret Ladies Guild and the Theresians. Very few people could keep up with the pace that she set.

Jean leaves behind two sons, Joseph and his wife, Candace, of Peacedale, R.I., and Kevin and his wife, Cheryl, of Summerfield, Fla.; and two daughters, Catherine Canning and her husband, Ray, of Bennington, Vt., and Barbara Joliat and her husband, Christopher, of Waterbury. She was predeceased by two sons, Terrance and Charles.

Funeral and burial will be private. There are no calling hours. The Murphy Funeral Home, 115 Willow St., is in charge of arrangements.

We have sad news to report. One of our Genetti cousins, Edward F. Genetti of Pennsylvania, passed away on November 12th. Born in 1936, Edward was the son of Stanley Genetti (1899-1988) and Eleanor Rauzi (1909-2005), and the grandson of Damiano Genetti (1857-1944) and Oliva Zambotti (1861-1938). He is the husband of Edwina (Roland) and was preceded in death by his first wife Rosemary (Gaudiano). We send our sympathies and condolences to Edward’s family.

Our cousin, master glass artist Gary Genetti, was interviewed recently for “Inspirational Creatives” podcast. I love listening to podcasts and this show was of particular interest to me since I also have a background in the arts.Gary’s interview is very insightful, offering a personal glimpse into his creative and life philosophy. Find “Inspirational Creatives” at iTunes. Congrats Gary– great job! Click hereto access their website and listen to Inspirational Creatives Podcast. Gary’s episode is #194.

And from one of our cousins in Italy, Chiara Dalla Nogare, here is information about an exchange opportunity between youth in Trentino and the descendants of Trentino immigrants. If you are a Genetti descendant whose family originated in Castelfondo, Trentino – and a young adult, you might be eligible for this fantastic program. The information is available in Italian, English and Spanish. Click hereto access the website MondoTrentino. Thank you Chiara for sharing this wonderful program with your American cousins.

Thank you to all who made the journey last week to Hazleton! We had a packed house with a total of 152 attendees at the Saturday evening banquet. I hope you had as much fun as I did – meeting new cousins and sharing stories with lots of hugs to go around. I will certainly remember this reunion with fond memories.

Make sure you visit the Reunion page on our website: https://genettifamily.com/reunion-news/. It has been updated with photos from our family weekend. Want to share your own reunion pics? Please email photos with captions to: info.genetti.family@gmail.com. Let’s share our reunion with cousins throughout the world by adding lots of fun candid photographs to this page. Our special thanks to Patricia Genetti (who did all of our table photos), Diane Genetti (who organized our group photo) and Valeria Genetti Bozek (who photographed candid pics of the Saturday presentations). Your contributions allowed us to have photographs online by Saturday evening!

Thanks to Patricia Genetti, we now have a Facebook public group page where our reunion photos were quickly posted. If you are a member of Facebook, click here to go to the “Genetti Family” public group page – and join! As of today, the page has 92 members.

If you missed our Saturday evening program, “The Genetti Family of Castelfondo: Our Journey to America” we have good news! Bill Genetti had the presentation professionally videotaped and it will soon be produced for sale as a DVD. This presentation will make a fantastic Christmas gift for family members or a historic memento to pass down to future generations.

Due to the cost, only a limited number of DVDs are being produced. So don’t delay, order your reunion presentation DVD today!

Family Tree

And one final note, if you are interested in purchasing a Genetti Family Tree Print, a print of our Coat-of-Arms or a beautiful printed chiffon scarf (one of our many reunion door prizes) you’re in luck. The company that provides our fine art prints (Redbubble) is offering us a one day sale of 20% off on all items through the Redbubble store. This offer is for the Genetti family only (not for the general public)! Hurry – the offer is only valid on Monday, October 17th!!!

Please use the unique coupon code of:twentyoff-GenettiFamily when checking out. You must place your order by midnight, October 17th to receive the 20% discount.

I’m happy to announce a major update to our ancestral tree. We have added the family of Erminia Erica Genetti (1876-1972) and Emanuel Maria Recla (1866-1939). Our sincerest thanks to Linda Pettis Sullivan, the great-granddaughter of Erminia and Emanuel. Linda spent a lot of time and effort documenting the details of her family tree. She was also very patient with my many questions, as I sorted out all of the Genetti/Recla descendants. The result: 54 new descendants added to our on-line and off-line family trees, 47 photographs also added to the on-line tree, and 16 family portraits included on the Photograph Page of our website Gallery Section.

Erminia Enrica Genetti Recla (1876 – 1972)

And now, a little background about the Genetti/Recla family. Erminia was the youngest daughter of Leone and Cattarina Genetti of Castelfondo, Tyrol. Baby sister to Damiano and Raffaele Genetti of Pennsylvania, Erminia arrived in America in 1890 at the young age of fourteen. She soon met and married Emanuel Maria Recla in 1893, a fellow Tyrolean ten years her senior. Emanuel was born in the neighboring village of Tres, located a few miles up the road from Castelfondo. He came to the United States in 1882. Emanuel’s older brother, Raffaele Recla, had married Erminia’s sister, Angela Maddalena Genetti, in 1887. Yes, you have that right – two Recla brothers married two Genetti sisters.

Recla women with their children – 1930

Erminia and Emanuel’s first two children were born in Sheppton, Pennsylvania (the mining town where her sister Angeline Genetti Recla, brother-in-law Raffaele Recla and brother Raffaele Genetti, were living at the time). By 1897, the couple moved to Crystal Falls, Michigan where five more children were born. In 1907 we find the Recla family settled in Spokane, Washington where many of their descendants still live today. Three more children were born in Spokane. Between 1894 and 1915, the couple had eleven children – eight survived to adulthood.

Robert Harry Pettis with brother George Hayes Pettis – 1926

I met Linda and her sister Mary through Ancestry.com. We are all family genealogists and quickly connected through our shared research, as well as cousin matching through DNA results. We are 3rd cousins, with common ancestors being our 2nd great-grandparents, Leone and Cattarina Genetti.

Linda and Mary’s father, Robert, along with his brother George, are still going strong in their 90’s! Their parents were Marie “Mary” Louise Recla and Harry Hayes Pettis. A hearty hello to the Pettis brothers! They are the grandsons of Erminia Genetti and Emanual Recla, and 2nd generation Americans. Linda sent us many wonderful photographs of her dad, Robert, and his brother George. Since I was unable to include all of them on our Photograph Page, I’ve shared many here in this blog post.

Robert Harry Pettis with brother George Hayes Pettis – 1932

Make sure you say hello to Linda when you see her at our Genetti Family Reunion next month. She’ll be easy to spot with her gorgeous flaming red hair! Again, many thanks Linda for your contribution to our ancestral tree. Your research and photos have now become a part of our growing Genetti Archive. Grazie mille!

And just a note about the structure and maintenance of our family tree. We have two separate trees – one off-line and the second published on-line through our website.

The off-line tree is constructed using the genealogy software, Family Tree Maker. It contains all stats and details provided to me for ancestors/descendants both living and deceased, (birth date/place, marriage date/place, death date/place, etc). We currently have 1618 family members listed in this family tree beginning in 1461 (with many more still to be added). This file is the basis for our Genetti Family Archive and is kept as up-to-date as possible with the entry of new births and the passing of family loved ones.

Robert Pettis – about five years old

A digital copy of the off-line family tree in the form of a GEDcom file is available to all descendants free-of-charge, (FYI – you must have appropriate genealogy software to open a GEDcom file). I can also generate a 5-generation descendant report for any family member, also free-of-charge. This can be emailed to you as an easily read PDF file. Simply provide me with the name of the descendant or ancestor that you would like to use as a starting point: Example – you want to generate a report beginning with you and going back five generations. The descendant report will contain all details and stats for your specified five generations.

Our on-line family tree is different in that it shows the complete stats (birth, marriage, death) only for descendants who are deceased. If photographs are available, they are also attached to each family member’s listing. However, all living descendants are noted as “Living” and only the year of their birth is given. This is done to protect the privacy of living family members and is a common practice for all genealogy websites. Our on-line family tree offers many unique search features and the ability to generate your own reports and printable charts.

If I can be of further help concerning the Genetti Family Tree or you would like to update your family information, please email me through our Contact Page.

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What’s New?

Find out what's new on our website: site updates, new products in our shop, family tree info, new pages, etc.

June 25, 2018: New Sales page added to website announcing current sales and ongoing specials in our Genetti Family Shop.

May 10, 2018: Gus and Val Genetti receive Community Service Award from The Luzerne Foundation

March 8, 2018: the passing of Lori Zamko Liptok

February 3, 2018: the passing of Wilma Jean (Ortigo) Reich

January 15, 2018: the passing of Joseph Anthony LaPorte

January 3, 2018: congratulations to Jacqueline and Michael Sullivan on the birth of a son.

December 18, 2017: the passing of Leon A. Genetti Jr.

December 10, 2017: the passing of Olivia (Reich) Hearn

November 20, 2017: the passing of Regina (Jean) Branz Daly

November 12, 2017: the passing of Edward F. Genetti

August 17, 2017: lots of new family photos added to the Photograph Page in the Gallery section.

August 12, 2017: the passing of Robert Harry Pettis

May 4, 2017: 117 new family members have been added to the Genetti family tree.

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In full transparency, please be aware that this blog contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission to me (at no extra cost to you!) This allows me to do what I LOVE to do, supports the costs involved with maintaining this website and helps pay the fees associated with genealogical research. Thank you to everyone who supports this family website by purchasing from our Bookstore and Family Shop.